Perpetual Optimism

Reviewed: 2018-04-28
Genre: Jazz
FCCs: none
Review: Riley, a drummer from New Orleans, is a member of the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra. On his own album, Riley leads a mainstream quintet playing five of his own numbers. It's a wonderfully relaxed mixture, a reminder of what mainstream jazz is all about, or should be—having fun, yet being creative.
If You Like: Art Blakey, Sonny Rollins, Clifford Brown
Track Review (favorites denoted by *):
*1/ Rush Hour (6:56) – bass starts> uptempo jam> trumpet solo> sax solo> piano solo> uptempo jam> fade
**2/ Be There When I Get There (5:53) – drums/bass start> fast tempo jam> scintillating sax solo> trumpet solo> piano solo> fast jam interspersed with mellower breaks> quick stop & some bass notes
*3/ Borders Without Lines (4:49) – lightning fast jam> piano solo> sax solo> drum solo> fast jam> quick stop
4/ You Don’t Know What Love Is (5:41) – bass/piano starts> slow jam with sax up front> sax solo> slow jam> slow fade
*5/ Perpetual Optimism (7:05) – bass/sax starts> uptempo bouncy jam> piano solo> uptempo jam> drum solo> uptempo jam> crescendo & fade
6/ Touched (7:23) – drums start> slow jam> piano solo> sax solo> trumpet solo> piano solo> slow jam swings up briefly & fades
7/ Wings And Roots (6:23) – drums start> midtempo jam with Latin vibe> trumpet solo> drums/bass duet> uptempo jam slows to midtempo> quick stop
**8/ Wang Dang Doodle (6:39) – bass starts> uptempo song> sax solo> trumpet solo> piano solo> uptempo song> crescendo end
*9/ Stella By Starlight (4:08) – piano starts> uptempo piano/bass duet> piano solo> bass solo> uptempo piano trio> quick fade
**10/ Twelve’s it (4:38) – drums start> uptempo rocking jam> trumpet solo> sax solo> piano solo> bass solo> uptempo jam> uptempo rap about Ellis Marsalis to fade